He's directed state officials to continue to work toward finding a way to implement the law, and has written a letter to the President urging him to end the "White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's misguided priority and wasted resources spent to intimidate states trying to implement medical marijuana programs."

I am writing to raise my deep concern about the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's misguided priority and wasted resources spent to intimidate states trying to implement medical marijuana programs that provide relief to citizens suffering from the pain of severe illness or injury.

"At a time when the scourge of meth is coming across the border, and cocaine and heroin use continues to ravage our communities, the federal government should be cracking down on real criminals---not people who are trying to help those in pain."

Just for the sake of clarity, since Richardson is the current governor of New Mexico, you might want to specify that he posted this letter on his presidential campaign Web site, not on "his" Web site as Governor of New Mexico.

(Unless he did both, but I don't see it on the official-governor site.) Just to keep the search engines honest. :-)

on Richardson's part. I realize he's only advocating for the repeal of marijuana prohibition for medicinal purposes, and not outright prohibition repeal, but I stll think it is bad form to stress the need to prohibit some substances while arguing for the ONDCP to call off the dogs in regards to marijuana. It's counter-productive. A better way to go, imo, would be to question why we have an agency like the ONDCP in the first place.

One big problem between the Feds and the States has been that the Feds have based their entire anti-cannabis policy upon lies that would quickly be proven such in court.

Immediately after a court rules anti-cannabis propaganda as being false (thanks to poor or non-existent research supporting it), law-suits on behalf of everyone who's been injured by the anti-cannabis laws will be launched. The effects to every treasury, State and Federal, will be devastating. And the Feds know this quite well. Which is why they move Heaven and Earth to avoid being forced onto a level playing field in a debate with a drug law reformer. Such a debate would establish doubt in the public's mind, and the policy of drug prohibition would be endangered.

Richardson's move might well hasten that day, for the Feds cannot expect to rely solely upon their propaganda remaining unchallenged after such a confrontation. The ONDCP and DEA been able to speak ex cathedra like The Pope, and have their bilge taken at face value without any serious countering. That may soon change, with this...